The Seventeenth Colossus
by The-Blank
Summary: fifty years have passed and the sealing spell is back in force, Will the colossi fall again or will the seventeenth colossus turn the tide
1. Chapter 1

First of all I will admit it has been some time since I've written any fanfic and sentence structure and punctuation are not m

First of all I will admit it has been some time since I've written any fanfic and sentence structure and punctuation are not my forte so I apologize in advance

This Fanfic borrows somewhat from the fanfic "Above the Shadow" (which I hope will be continued soon) but I am in no way intending to steal the author's ideas

That said please read and enjoy

Chapter One

There was a flash of light, and sixteen Colossi resurrected from the dead appeared before the shrine in an instant.

The two flyers were in the air in seconds.

The Goliath Barda heaved himself to his feet and glared at the other Colossi.

"What is going on?" he growled, his voice deep and gravelly, "the last thing I remember was that damned human crawling up my back and everything went black."

Gaius, The Earth Knight, walked over to where The Sea Dragon Hydrus flopped around on the ground. He gently lifted her head into the air with his left hand and supported her sinuous coils with his sword arm.

"I know not what happened here, my last memories are of trying to strike down the foul creature that was slaying us." He shook his head sadly. "In my arrogance I stuck at him with my blade, but it hit the slab in the centre of my domain and shattered the armour on my arm. In my rage I struck at him again…but my weapon stuck in the earth and he used it to run up my arm." Again he shook his head in shame. "All I recall after that was pain. I assume that Thou also met the same fate." He glanced around at the others. "And the rest of you?"

Malus turned from his view of the horizon.

"**Yes, all of us fell, I was the last,**" boomed in his loud, but gentle voice. The Grand Gigas returned his gaze to the huge gates visible on the other side of the plains. "**I felt the rest of you die.**"

"Surely not Malus," whinnied Phaedra, wandering over. "You are the strongest of us all." Barda stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a slithery, hissing voice; that of Kuromori.

"_Perhaps dear Malus is not as powerful as we thought,"_ Kuromori whispered from his position on the front of the shrine. Gaius glared at The Wall Shadow with contempt.

"SILENCE REPTILE!" he bellowed, taking a step towards the other Colossus. "We all stood against the human and were slain!"

"That if you not run away," Valus grunted, shaking his club. "All know you are coward."

"Please brothers, do not fight," gurgled Hydrus from Gaius's arms "This helps nothing!"

Kuromori twisted his head around to look at Gaius. "_It is clear that we were not a match for the human but I fought for my life just like the rest of you._"

"Come down here so I can squash you, liar!" Barda stepped forward and swiftly swiped at Kuromori, who quickly backed up higher onto his pillar, gathering energy in his mouth, preparing to fire…

"**ENOUGH ALL OF YOU!**" bellowed Malus, a crackling bolt gathering in his fist. "**Kuromori fought, I felt him die just like the others.**"

Dirge gazed at the others, his luminous eyes blinking.

So we all died?" He said in a voice a dry as paper

He gazed up at the circling Trail Drifter above their heads. "Phalanx, surely you could escape from him?"

The flying colossus answered in a quiet, slow, whispering voice, "No…he awoke me from my sleep…I burst forth from the sand and took to the air… he followed me on his animal and punctured my gasbags with arrows…I could not stay in the air…" He paused. "He climbed up my wing…and stabbed his blade into my seals…"

Dirge turned to the Great Basilisk. "Pelagia, below the surface of your lake he would not be able to reach you, surely?"

The huge creature shook his head regretfully. "My rage overtook me, I came to the surface and blasted him with my horns but he climbed up my back, used me to get onto one of the shrines in my domain." Pelagia looked guiltily away. "When I reared out of the water looking for him he grabbed my chest hair and drove his sword into my seal."

Basaran stumped over, his heavy tread shaking the ground. "We have to face it, we all died." The Storm Echo slumped to the ground with a crash. "What we need to know is what happened after."

Avion landed near the conversation and chirped, "well the bridge is gone and I couldn't see The Wanderer anywhere…I can't feel the Dormin's presence in the land." The Delta Phoenix looked around at the others. "Did They escape?"

"Yes," suddenly boomed a voice from the top of the shrine. The Colossi gazed upward to see another Colossus standing on the very apex of the spire, tall as Malus but as thin as Gaius, carrying a huge staff with an orb made of some kind of gemstone on the top. Around his brow was a circlet; the only piece of armour he wore. A robe and cape made of moss were draped heavily around his form. "I am Zalgadis, The Magnus Thought," he announced.

Well that's it, I hope you like it and the next chapter will be up next week sometime


	2. Chapter 2

I know it has been some time since I posted chapter 1 but a combination of writers block, work trouibles and a lack of people

I know it has been some time since I posted chapter 1 but a combination of writers block, work troubles and a lack of people reviewing (I figured no one was reading) has sapped my enthusiasm

But I'm back and writing again and so I give you

Chapter Two

The other colossi looked up at the one who called himself Zalgadis and Barda bellowed "Who the hell are you?" he shook a fist at the Magnus Thought "If You serve Dormin…."

"**Enough Barda**" said Malus firmly "**He is clearly another colossus, and The Dormin is not here so he cannot be its servant**"

The orb on Zalgadis's staff flashed and he stood before them causing Barba, Argus and Valus to draw themselves into a defensive position, Celosia and Cenobia and draw back ready to pounce, Kuromori to scuttle out of sight behind a pillar and Avion to take to the air in alarm

Malus raised a hand to stop them "**Peace my brothers and sisters, I sense no malice from him**" he turned to face the new colossus "**Tell us, who are you and has happened since our fall?**"

Zalgadis moved his staff from one hand to the other "As I said I am Zalgadis, The Magnus Thought just as you are Malus, The Grand Gigas" he gestured at the other colossi "and they are The Minotaur Valus, "he waved a hand at Valus who still stood clutching his club and watching suspiciously

"The Taurus Major, Quadratus" Quadratus watched the events with careful interest "The Earth Knight, Gaius," Gaius bowed as much as the serpent in his arms would allow as Zalgadis named the Colossi one by one by both of their names

Barda narrowed his eyes "You know all our names that were given to us upon our creation but we've never seen you before, what are you doing here?"

Dirge spoke up suddenly "I think a better question is what are WE doing here" the others looked at him as he lay with only his head showing above the ground " We DID die but now we are no longer dead"

"I will tell you" said The Magnus Thought "up0on the death of the last of you, Malus" he gestured at The Grand Gigas "the Dormin was freed and it took control of the body of your killer, The Wanderer, but Emon, a shaman of the line that first sealed The Dormin managed to reseal it using the very sword that slew you all"

He gestured at the Shrine of Worship with his empty hand "he cast the sacred sword into the pool and the Dormin's power was broken but The Dormin did keep its word to The Wanderer and restored his love to life and The Wanderer was reborn"

"_Why?_" hissed Kuromori slithering closer "_why would the Wanderer be reborn?_"

"**Because The Wanderers Soul was not his to take**" said Malus, not taking his eyes from Zalgadis

"True, the agreement between them was your death for the girl, Mono's, life" said Zalgadis moving his staff back to his other hand again "The Dormin could not take his soul but his body was corrupted and defiled and so the powers of the Covenant took a simple measure, they took his Soul and gave it to a son, a son with horns to show that his father had made a deal with Dormin" he gestured around the valley with one sweeping hand "he lived here with Mono as his mother until she died of fever when he was eighteen then he climbed out of the valley with the Ancient Blade, it was hard but he managed it, he returned to the world and told his story"

The other colossi listened but Barda was getting impatient "GET TO THE BLOODY POINT!!" he bellowed

Zalgadis carried of as if he had heard nothing "it was then that Emon's son realized that the time had come for the Dormin to be resealed, if the son of The Wanderer could escape the valley so could the Dormin, when it had regained it's strength so it was decided that the Covenant would be renewed" he gestured at the colossi "you were resurrected by the spells of the shamans" he gestured at himself "and I was created to be a symbol of the new covenant"

"**So The Dormin is split?**" asked Malus "**I do not feel it within me**"

"It waits for you within your domains" answered The Magnus Thought "I will take each of you to your domain and the Dormin will be returned to you" he turned away to face the shrine "but there are two sides to this Covenant, The Shaman's and The Dormin's and so…" he raised his arms and the Orb on his staff began to glow a clatter of stone on stone filled the valley

Phalanx spoke is his slow, quiet, whisper that still carried to the others "The Bridge,…… it restores itself"

The other Colossi muttered among themselves as Malus said, "**Why have you restored the bridge?**"

Zalgadis turned "because that is the only way that Dormin can be held"

He turned to The Minotaur "come, we return you to your domain"

Well that's chapter two, hopefully chapter three will be a little faster coming please read and review (constructive criticisms only please)


	3. Chapter 3

I know it's been a while but I've been trying to get my new business going so I've not had much time

I know it's been a while but I've been trying to get my new business going so I've not had much time

But I enjoy writing and I need some down time so I've started again, hope you enjoy this new chapter, it's been a while coming

Chapter Three

Valus grunted and followed Zalgadis toward the cliff top that had been his home until he was slain

They walked for a few minutes before The Minotaur spoke "we dead?" he asked simply

"You were" said Zalgadis without glancing over his shoulder

Valus was silent until they arrived at the bottom of the cliff "We not dead anymore?"

"No" said Zalgadis with a little humour in his voice as he stood patiently waiting for Valus to climb up onto the cliff

Valus nodded and began to climb "That good" he said, "humans still dead?"

Zalgadis paused "Yes" he said sadly "The humans that lived here were not part of The Covenant and so they cannot be revived" he began to climb again

"Oh, that bad" whispered Valus sadly "Evil killed them" he looked up "Evil dead?"

Zalgadis sighed, "No, it is sealed like it was before" he looked down at Valus as he came over the lip "But only if you will agree to hold some of his Spirit as you did before"

Valus was silent for a moment trying to think, not an action he was well suited for "If I not do, Evil will came back?" he asked as he peered into the ruined temple set into the wall of his valley

"Almost certainly" said Zalgadis the noticing The Minotaur's incomprehension he rephrased "Yes, it will"

Valus nodded "If Evil come back, more die" he straightened up "Evil not come back"

Zalgadis turned reached out to what looked like a moss covered hill and touched it with the gem on the tip of his staff, Valus looked over "What you doing?" he asked

Zalgadis turned and showed him the staff,

The gem was now filled with writhing coiling tendrils of shadow

Valus walked over and knelt down to run a hand over the hill, which crumbled into nothing "That me"

"It was" said Zalgadis "this is what you became what you were killed"

Valus turned back and said simply "You give me Evil now"

Zalgadis nodded and, without a word, touched his staff to The Minotaur's forehead, the darkness flowed out and into his body, he grunted in pain

The Magnus Thought stepped back and Valus said "I go sleep now" he turned, walked into the shade and lay down resting his club against the wall

Zalgadis turned and began to walk back toward the Shrine, his slow but long stride covered the ground quickly and in less than a minute he had arrived to find the other colossi talking amongst themselves, they rarely had a chance, as few of them were able to leave their domains

Their homes were also their prisons

"Quadratus, please follow me" said Zalgadis and walked around toward the back of the shrine

Argus stepped into his way and growled "Now hold on a minute, I've got some questions for you"

The Magnus Thought looked down at him and said "There will be plenty of time for questions later" he placed a gentle hand on The Sentinel's shoulder "The Seal must be completed"

Quadratus walked over and said gently "Please Argus, I wish to return to my beach"

Argus grumbled but stood aside and the two colossi walked around to the back of the shrine where they arrived at a bridge of stone and earth and The Taurus Major stopped and shook his head "it will not even hold my weight" he said then looked up at Zalgadis "it certainly won't be able to hold yours"

Zalgadis didn't reply but tapped his staff on the ground, the gem flashed and they were standing on the other side, he slowly began to pick his way down toward the beach

Quadratus walked down the ramp leading down "Why didn't you just teleport us straight here?"

Zalgadis reached down with his staff and rested the gem on sprawled corpse of Quadratus that lay there "I can only teleport to where I can see, I have a limited range and it drains my strength, I must be careful otherwise my power will be spent and then I will not be able to complete The Seal before it is to late"

Quadratus stood on the beach and stared at the water "When I was created I was placed here to defend the land should it ever become needed"

The Magnus Thought turned to him and raised his staff from the body, which then crumbled; the gem was again filled with Dormin's essence "Are you prepared?"

Quadratus looked up and without turning said "Will you seal me back into the cave?"

"Only if you wish it," said Zalgadis kindly

"Until The Wanderer came I had never stepped from that cave" said Quadratus, turning "The battle I was created for never came to be, I was a weapon that was never used, trapped in there with only the occasional other colossus who would visit for company but when the humans died they just stopped coming"

"That need not be any longer" replied Zalgadis "You may roam wherever you can reach, however to keep the seal strong you must sleep nowhere but here" he raised he staff "Are you ready?"

Quadratus nodded his huge head and The Magnus Thought touched his head between his horns with the gem on his staff

The Taurus Major groaned at the discomfort but it was over quickly

Zalgadis turned away, waded into the river and climbed back up the wall

"Zalgadis" called out Quadratus when he reached the top "You will visit me won't you?"

The Magnus Thought glanced over his shoulder and said simply "I am afraid I can't once I enter my own domain I will be unable to leave it"

Zalgadis walked away toward the front of The Shrine

Well that's chapter three I hope that I can finish the next one by the end of next week

I'd finished the Valus portion before I realised just how TALL I'd said Zalgadis was and he didn't need to climb up the cliff, as it would reach just past his waist o0

And writing for creatures that have little or no facial expression is harder then I thought


	4. Chapter 4

(i)Well I'm late (Again) but here is chapter four(i)Chapter Four

Zalgadis walked around to the front of the Shrine to find most of the other Colossi still talking amongst themselves, Malus was standing by himself watching the others, Argus, Cenobia and Barda were clustered together whispering but they stopped when The Magnus Thought came into sight and Basaran was fast asleep his snoring rumbling like thunder

Avion landed in front of the robed colossus "Why must we wait here?" chirped The Delta Phoenix "I could reach my domain in minutes and wait for you there, as could most of us"

Zalgadis shook his head "No, you must wait, you must not enter out of your proper order and you must not enter without me"

Barda turned to them and seemed about to speak but Malus interrupted "**Very well**" said the Grand Gigas

Zalgadis walked over next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder "please keep them here, it will not take long" he whispered, "we will be done by sunset"

He turned and said "Gaius we must go, it is time for you to return to your domain" he began to walk back toward the back of the temple

Gaius hesitated "but what of Hydrus?" he asked, "she can not stay here, it is most uncomfortable for her to lay on land"

Zalgadis stopped and looked over his shoulder "Bring her, she can wait with Quadratus until it is her turn"

Celosia chimed in "May the rest of us be extended the same courtesy?"

Zalgadis sighed and said, "If you wish but you must not return to your domains"

"Of course, you have our word" promised The Flame Guardian then looked over at the others "doesn't he?"

There was a general agreement from most of the others but Phalanx didn't answer, he was quite happy lazily drifting through the air over the Shrine, Basaran's only answer was a snore, Malus remained silent, lost in his own thoughts and Cenobia growled

The Flame Guardian walked over and cuffed her brother with a paw "Doesn't He?" he growled

There was a barely heard "yes" from the Destruction Luster

Dirge sighed and said sadly "I would greatly welcome the chance to speak with Quadratus but unfortunately it would take me some time to get there as I would have to tunnel under the river"

"**There is no need**," said Malus "**I will carry you**"

"Thank you Brother" replied The Sand Tiger

Pelagia nudged The Storm Echo with one great foot "you're going to stay here right?"

Basaran grunted and shifted into a more comfortable position

Phalanx whispered "Do…not …worry…I will watch…over him"

"May we go then?" said Zalgadis as he began to walk again, sounding more than slightly annoyed

The other Colossi followed

Zalgadis climbed down into Quadratus's river and The Taurus Major looked up and began to greet him but the sight of the others climbing down the walls, running across the rock bridge and being helped down by Argus and Malus caused the words to die in his mouth "Wha?"

"They all decided that you deserved a visit," grumbled Zalgadis as he began to climb up the other side

Gaius gently lowered Hydrus into the water beside Pelagia and said "I had best make my farewells brief, Zalgadis seems in a great hurry," he bowed deeply to all the colossi assembled and said "It was an honour to see all of you again but I imagine that I will not see many of you for a while, I cannot leave my post once I have returned to it" he turned and moved to join the waiting Zalgadis

Zalgadis set off northwest without another word, Gaius at his heels

The two colossi walked in silence through canyons until they reached Gaius's platform

Zalgadis placed a hand on Gaius's shoulder and tapped his staff on the ground, the gem flashed and they stood on the platform

As Zalgadis leant down to place he staff against the sprawled pile that was Gaius's remains The Earth Knight sighed

"This place was not always so" he said sadly "once humans from all over the land would come here to stand and train at my feet" he gestured at the ramp "this place was built as it is on purpose, anyone who wished to learn would have to swim out across the lake, climb the ramp and leap across to my platform"

Gaius looked down at the stone slab in the center of the platform "I would stand over them here and teach those who were worthy, not just strong, they had to be brave, kind and chivalrous as well"

Zalgadis looked over his shoulder at Gaius "why?" he asked, curious "the colossi are guardians, why would you care to teach humans to fight?"

Gaius stopped, startled by the question

Zalgadis turned back to his task "I am sorry, I did not mean to offend you, I was simply curious"

"Nay, thou did not offend me," he said shaking his head "I was created as a guardian as were us all but I was created as a guardian of tradition not a guardian of lives"

"If an army attacked how would I defend the people?" The Earth Knight chuckled "those that were capable of reaching me would be those who would be fighting to defend the people"

Gaius turned to face The Magus Thought "that is why I was created, to make sure that those who would lead the defense would be trained properly"

Zalgadis stood and turned, the gem on his staff filled with writhing darkness "I was created to be the guardian of The Covenant, are you prepared?"

The Earth Knight raised his sword in salute touching where his heart would be (if he were human) "I am ready, place within me the darkness I am to hold forevermore"

Zalgadis touched the staff to Gaius's forehead; he did not even twitch as the dark power flowed into him

Zalgadis then gestured with his other hand and the armor on Gaius's sword arm repaired itself "All must be as it was before

"It is done," said the taller colossus as to walked to the edge of the platform and hopped down into the lake

The Magnus Thought was just entering the canyon that would lead him back to the others when Gaius's voice followed him "You will return and visit me will you not?"

Zalgadis did not even look back but just answered "No"

A short time later he had returned to where the other colossi waited, "Phaedra, please come with me" he said as he quickly climbed up the far side

"Malus if you would please help" said The Magnus Thought as he reached down to take hold of The Equus Prime's shoulders

Malus lifted Phaedra's back legs so that she could stand on the lip

Zalgadis retrieved his staff and turned "come"

They walked around to the front of the shrine and set off east but after only a short time they stopped

"We can't fit through the passage let alone through the tunnels behind them" whinnied Phaedra

"And I cannot teleport us to a place I cannot see" replied the Magnus Thought the he placed a hand on the Equus Prime's shoulder "but I can do this"

The gem flashed and Phaedra felt herself begin to shrink, in seconds she was the size of a horse, she glanced to the side and was extremely surprised to discover a young, robed, male human with stark white hair standing next to her

The human spoke in Zalgadis's voice "come, we must get to your domain"

They walked for a short time and came to a tunnel which they followed through to find a ledge of earth looking down into a shallow chasm, beyond was a beautiful, verdant clearing surrounded on all sides with stone walls but green and full of life the only thing that showed that humans had ever been here were openings cut into the sides of four hills, leading down underground

The two walked down onto the valley floor and the human with Zalgadis's voice placed a hand on the horse-sized colossus's shoulder, the gem flashed and both colossi were returned to their normal state

They walked over to the small, plant-covered hill that was all that remained of The Equus Prime and Zalgadis leaned down and placed the gem on his staff against it

Phaedra past to a huge stone slab set into the ground "They placed this here for me" she said sadly "some of the humans that came here noticed that I was sleeping leaning against the wall because I didn't like lying in the dirt"

"It rains often here and it gets very muddy, I had trouble getting the mud off so I would sleep standing up" she said, running as pointed foreleg over the carvings that surrounded the edges of the slab "one of the humans asked me why and I told him, the next day he came back and began to dig, the humans that came after asked him why he was digging, he told them and before I knew it there were over fifty of them doing it"

"After a few days they turned up and they didn't have their shovels, they told me they were waiting for something, a short while later Argus and Valus climbed over the walls and Avion and Phalanx flew in with this slab" she chuckled "how they managed to talk Phalanx into that I don't know, he normally won't do anything but fly around randomly or sleep under the desert sands"

"They put it in place and asked me if I like it" she said, lying down "And I said yes, all of a sudden humans were interesting to me, until then all I did was wander around this place, only noticing them enough to not step on them but then I started taking an interest, offering my condolences, praying along with them when they would come to place a body within the tombs"

The Equus Prime hung her head "But all of that is over now, The Dormin appeared and the humans stopped coming, The Dormin was defeated but the humans didn't come back"

Zalgadis straightened up and turned "all things end, even colossi"

Phaedra looked up "But we didn't end, here we are, we died but we've come back"

"Perhaps one day Dormin will be defeated forever and you can all rest," he said raising his staff "are you ready?"

Phaedra nodded and Zalgadis placed the gem against her forehead, she whinnied in pain as the darkness entered her again

The Magnus Thought turned and began to walk away

"You said 'you will be able to rest" don't you mean 'WE will be able to rest?" said The Equus Prime to his retreating back

Zalgadis didn't turn but said, "I doubt I will EVER be able to rest, there is too much which needs to be done"

He climbed up onto the walls and was gone before she could ask what he meant

Well that's chapter four done, I'll REALLY try to get Five done before the end of the week


	5. Chapter 5

**_Well circumstance has made a liar of me again, I know it's been weeks since I've posted a story but sometimes things come up, please be patient, I'll get these things done as quickly as possible By the way this chapter has swearing in it_**

**Chapter Four**

Zalgadis looked up at the sky and growled to himself "Will I have time?"

With hurried strides he walked toward Quadratus's beach and when he arrived he didn't bother with pleasantries he simply said, "Avion, we must go" and turned back around and started back in the other direction

Avion said some very hasty farewells and took to the air, moving quickly to catch up with Zalgadis

They travelled in silence for a short while until the small passage that led to Avion's domain

"The ledge narrows as it goes around the edge" Avion chirped "How will you…" she broke off with a surprised squawk when Zalgadis vanished and reappeared at the entrance

Zalgadis slipped through sideways and moved to the shore where he stopped and rased one hand to stroke his chin in thought

"Before the water level rose there was a doorway that people would use to get in and out" chirped Avion from overhead "but as you can see it would not accommodate your size anyway"

"And the walls that are there would not take my weight if I tried to climb over them" said The Magnus Thought

Then he tapped him staff on the ground and vanished to appear on the other side where he fell into the water with an almighty splash, to find it was allot deeper than he thought, it reached halfway up his chest

The Delta Phoenix landed on her Perch and watched Zalgadis wade toward the moss and plant covered body floating in the water "It wasn't always like this you know" she chirped

Zalgadis sighed quietly to himself, it seemed many of the colossi were starved for conversation, not to mention lost in memories of their past "How was it before?" he asked politely

"The water was much lower, this was The Great Lake Library but there were bridges connecting one building to another both at the level of the water and from roof to roof of the great libraries, a great series of bridges throughout this entire area" chirped Avion "this was a great centre of learning"

She gestured with her wings at the only buildings that were actually visible "they were the great libraries, the fact that they stand out of the water now must tell you something about how tall they are altogether, they were filled with books, the long histories of The Land, the knowledge held here was second only to The Great Library that sat overlooking the sea"

She waved a wind at the many spires throughout the lake "And in the buildings that stood there painters and sculptors, actors and musicians, artists of every kind practiced their craft" she sighed hanging her head "But they are all gone now, the great libraries are under water, their books destroyed, the paintings ruined, the instruments broken, and the statues worn away

Zalgadis looked up from where he was pulling the Dormin essence into the gem on his staff "And you were their defender?"

The Delta Phoenix shook her head "No, I flew all over The Land, bringing scholars and artists here and returning them to their homes when they wished, they would climb onto my back and I would drop them there" she gestured with a wing at the large castle like structure that stood over what was once the entrance "or if they were to frail, I would land on the top of one of the libraries and the other humans would help them down," she paused and then continued happily "I would also give rides to the children, oh how I adored children, I loved to watch them play on the bridges and swim in the lake, they would shout and skip and splash"

She stopped "But they are all dead now" she keened "All of the darling humans I loved so much"

Zalgadis looked up and said, "I am sorry for your loss, please could you come down here?" he held up his staff "I cannot reach you there"

Avion came to sit on top of the library next to where her corpse lay, Zalgadis reached up with his staff and touched her between her eyes, the darkness flowed into her and she screeched in pain

Avion opened her wings to fly back to her perch but Zalgadis raised a hand "Please wait, I shall need you help in a moment but first you must know something, though you may travel as you wish you must only sleep HERE" the last world was said with great force "I cannot stress that enough, if you sleep anywhere else the Seal will weaken and eventually break"

"I understand," said Avion

"Good" The Magnus Thought as he placed a hand on the edge of the building next to The Delta Phoenix

His staff flashed and a young robed human with stark white hair appeared in his place, he scrambled up onto the top and said "If you would please carry me to there" he gestured at the structure over the entrance

Avion shook her head "you will get very wet swimming to the shore, I will carry you to the shrine" she held out a wing to allow him to climb up easier

As soon as he was on her back Avion took to the air and in mere minutes they had arrived

"Thank you Avion" said the human that was Zalgadis as he climbed down "Now please remember you must only sleep in your domain

Avion nodded and flew away, back toward The Great Lake Library

There was a flash and Zalgadis had returned, he wasted not a moment but walked to Quadratus's beach

Barda was sitting on the edge waiting for him "Dirge worked out the order" he said I'm next, right?"

Zalgadis nodded, "that is correct" he turned to leave and Barda dragged himself to his feet to follow him

They traveled quickly through the land, through forests, squeezing through narrow passages and finally across the plain that stood at the edge of the desert, Barda stopped and pointed at a form that lay on the sand in the distance "Is that Phalanx?"

"It is, in every domain there is the remains of the colossus that protected that domain" Zalgadis said pausing "When the Dormin is taken out if them, they crumble to dust"

Barda began to walk again as he muttered "Great, like I need to be reminded of my mortality" they arrived at the great, pillared shrine that surrounded the tunnel, which lead into Barda's domain

"Well?" said Barda, waiting, "when the humans placed me inside they used magic to get me through the door"

Zalgadis placed a hand on his shoulder, there was a flash and Barda shrunk to human size, Zalgadis took on the form of the white haired human again

"What the bloody hell?" blurted Barda

Zalgadis ignored him and walked inside, climbing over the stone blocks that made entrance difficult

"Humph, there weren't any bloody fallen blocks here when I came," grumbled Barda as he hurried to catch up

By the time Barda caught up Zalgadis had already started climbing down toward the temple floor, when he reached the bottom he began to walk across the floor toward the mound that was Barda's remains when a hand landed on his shoulder and spun him around

"Right, I've got some questions for you" growled Barda menacingly "Starting with who the bloody hell are you and why, when I shrink, You turn into a human?"

Zalgadis frowned and said "I am Zalgadis, The Magnus Thought, that is a good enough answer, as to the other it's none of your business" his eyes became angry and cold "NOW, UNHAND ME" he bellowed and a bolt from the top of his staff knocked Barda sprawling

The Magnus thought stalked over and grabbed Barda by the beard "OW, Hands off the bloody beard" spat The Goliath

"Shut up" spat back Zalgadis "You and a lot of the others have done nothing but complain since I came here, I've tried to be nice, tried to be accommodating, tried to be polite, but it may have escaped you…" He turned away and Barda stood up

Zalgadis turned back around and shouted at the top of his lungs, gesticulating wildly and backing Barda up against the wall "BUT I'M TRYING TO SAVE THE FUCKING WORLD HERE AND I'VE ONLY GOT A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME, YOU MAY NOT CARE ABOUT THE FUCKING WORLD AND THE HUMANS, BUT I FUCKING WELL DO AND IF IT WASN'T FOR THE FACT THAT YOU CAN'T BE REPLACED AND MY TIME IS LIMITED, I'D BEAT YOU SO HAND THAT YOU WOULDN'T WAKE UP UNTILL THE FUCKING WORLD ENDED"

Barda said quietly "errrrrr, sorry?"

Zalgadis turned around and regained his decorum "Sorry about that, I'm under a lot of pressure"

"Take you time" said Barda trying to sound supportive

"Come" said the Magnus Thought as he walked toward the mound that was Barda, when he got there he turned placed a hand on Barda and The Goliath grew back to his normal size, Zalgadis remained as he was and placed his staff against the mound

"I do care about the humans you know" grumbled Barda "I was their guardian here, I kept than safe and lifted visitors in and out, the monks that lived here didn't like visitors though so I didn't have to do it often"

Zalgadis turned and said "Bring your head down here"

Barda obeyed and Zalgadis touched his forehead with the staff, the darkness entered him and he grunted

The Magus Thought led him back to the great door that led into Barda's chamber, repairing each shrine as they passed it and Zalgadis began to climb back up

"Let me help you there" said The Goliath as he lifted Zalgadis back up to the top

He shook his head as The Magnus Thought started back up the tunnel

**_Well that's chapter five_**

**_Six will be up soon (I hope)_**

**_Please Read And Review  
_**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Sorry to make you wait so long but I've had a lot on my plate_**

**Chapter Six**

Zalgadis walked around the shrine to Quadratus's beach as he reached the edge and began to climb down Malus leant down and lifted Hydrus in his arms "**I will pass her to you when you climb out**" said the Grand Gigas

Zalgadis simply nodded as he climbed back out on the other side

The Magnus Thought turned and reached out his arms toward Malus, who placed the Sea Dragon into his arms

With Zalgadis's help Hydrus coiled herself around him, freeing his arms but still allowing her to be mostly comfortable

The Magnus Thought set off across the sandy plain that was there and followed the mountains around to the west

"You seem troubled," said the Sea Dragon kindly "Is something wrong?"

"It is nothing," said Zalgadis simply, increasing his pace

"You may not be one of us who served and protected this land in ages past but you are still as much my brother as the rest" said Hydrus firmly "Tell me what is wrong"

"I am not sure I have enough time, I am not sure I can complete my task" whispered Zalgadis "I don't think I have the power"

"Foolishness, if you did not have the power you would not have been sent" said the Sea Dragon simply "trust in yourself and all will be as it should"

Zalgadis nodded as they arrived a low, crumbling wall with a row of pillars, many broken, sticking out of the top

The Magnus Thought walked to the edge and stared down at the spires sticking up out of the water, the remains of walkways on mighty pillars and the mossy remains of Hydrus, floating in the still waters, He flexed his legs preparing to jump over the wall into the water

"Don't" said Hydrus quickly "Its deeper than it looks"

Zalgadis stopped and looked around until his eyes fell on the pillar in the center with the broken walkway leading almost to it and nodded, he raised his staff and tapped it on the ground

They appeared in the air close by the pillar and Zalgadis's hand flicked out to catch hold of it, it groaned under his weight but held, he leaned over and touched the head of his staff to the floating remains

Hydrus uncoiled herself and slipped into the water "ahhh, that's better" she said as she began to swim around diving down then surfacing again and again

"I suppose this place was not always as it is?" said Zalgadis, knowing that the comment was coming and just accepting it"

"Yes, that's true," said Hydrus, sticking her head out of the water to talk to him "this was the Lake City, solid towers rose up from the water, full of people"

"And they traveled from tower to tower with walkways" said Zalgadis, not looking at her

"Also true" said Hydrus chuckling "a walkway on every level lead to the central pillar or to another building if it was in the way, there was a building on top of the pillar then where decisions were made and laws created"

Hydrus paused "I would sleep, coiled at the bottom of the lake, sometimes I would watch the humans swim when I was not away"

"Away?" said Zalgadis, surprised "You weren't the guardian here?"

"Why would there need to be a guardian here?" asked Hydrus "There is only one way in and that was easily guarded by Gaius's warriors in time of war, not that anyone got this far with Basaran around"

"No, I was the Guardian of the Sea" continued Hydrus "for weeks at a time I would swim up the rivers and along the coast, watching for pirates and sudden storms, if I saw pirates I would inform the humans and they would send out a ship, I would come up beneath the ship and smash the bottom making it split in two then I would stun the pirates and the humans would take them away"

"And if you saw a storm?" asked the Magnus Thought

"I'd tell the humans and they would tell Malus," said Hydrus simply

"How did you get to the sea?" asked Zalgadis "we are far inland here"

"Didn't you say you were in a hurry" Hydrus laughed then became somber "There was once a tunnel that lead to the sea at the bottom of the lake but it has been blocked with the rubble of the fallen towers"

Zalgadis nodded and raised his staff "Are you ready?"

The Sea Dragon raised her head and said, "I'm ready"

The staff touched her head and the dark essence of Dormin flowed into her, causing her to give a bubbling squeal of pain

Zalgadis lowered himself into the water "Show me where this tunnel is"

"But…" started Hydrus

"My time is limited but a few minutes here or there should make little difference" interrupted Zalgadis "Show me the tunnel"

The Sea Dragon dived down toward the bottom of the lake and Zalgadis followed

Hydrus stopped and indicated a pile of stones with a nod of his head

The Magnus thought stood on the lakebed and raised his staff in both hands then brought it down to slam the bottom into the pile of stones, there was a mi8ghty boom and the rocks turned to sand and were forced down the tunnel

Zalgadis kicked up until he could pull himself up out of the water "you may travel as you wish after the seal is complete but for now please stay here" he said to Hydrus then he tapped the base of his staff against the pillar and vanished to stand back outside the wall

He set off back toward the Shrine

He arrived at Quadratus's beach and without breaking stride walked down the slope and through the water "Kuromori, come with me" he said as he began to climb

The Wall Shadow scuttled after him silently as he walked around the shrine and through two mountain passes until they arrived at the tiny tunnel that was the way most took to reach Kuromori's domain

Zalgadis began to climb

"_Don't bother with that my dear Zalgadis, simply shrink yourself and I will get both of us there_" whispered the Wall Shadow

Zalgadis turned and asked, "How do you know about my powers?"

Kuromori chuckled "_I followed you when you took Phaedra, I saw everything_"

"Why?" asked the Magnus Thought

"_That's what I do, I spy, I watch, I listen, I creep_" giggled Kuromori "_now I believe time is pressing so we should be away_"

Zalgadis's staff flashed and he stood there in his human form

"_Climb aboard and hold on tight_" said the Wall shadow "_make yourself comfortable among the scales on my back, I promise not to shock you_"

As soon as Zalgadis was on Kuromori was away scuttling up walls and around the sides of mountains until the arrived at the hole in the ground Kuromori lived in

The Wall Shadow quickly scurried down the side, almost unseating Zalgadis

The Magnus Thought slid off Kuromori's back and moved over to the small, moss-covered hill that was what was left of his previous existence

"_Ahhh hole sweet hole_" said the Wall Shadow, finding a comfortable place to lie in the sun "_even though this place has started to fall apart since the humans left, it's still a good place to relax_"

"So what did you do?" Zalgadis asked, glancing up from his work

"_I was a spy, when the humans got worried about what a neighboring country was up to their spies would come to me and I would carry them out into the world, taking hidden ways_" the Wall Shadow replied "_and if they were chased when they came back I'd blast their pursuers with my bolts of lighting and poison_"

"I see," said Zalgadis turning and showing his staff, the Dormin essence coiling within the globe

Kuromori sighed, "_hurry up then, I want to take a nap_"

Zalgadis touched the staff to Kuromori's forehead, the Wall Shadow hissed in pain then slumped onto the ground, he waved a foreleg one of the sets of stairs "_just keep climbing until you can't anymore and you'll find the way out_"

"You could carry me back outside," said Zalgadis nudging him with his staff

Kuromori ignored him and the Magnus Thought began to climb, muttering


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Zalgadis emerged into the light and glared up at the sun "My time grows short" he muttered to himself as he returned to his full size and appearance, he hurried away

A short time later he arrived at the shrine of worship and poked the sleeping Basaran with his staff "Wake up, it's time," he said

Basaran grumbled but dragged himself to his feet

Zalgadis sighed and said "I am sorry Basaran but I am afraid it will take to long to get to your domain if we walk"

Zalgadis placed a hand on Basaran's shoulder and Basaran shrunk to human size

"Wha…?" was all the Storm Echo managed to say before the Magnus Thought scooped him up and set off with quick, ground eating strides

Zalgadis didn't even pause when they reached the rock bridge that the had to cross, he tapped his staff on the ground and they were across

The Magnus Thought hurried toward the cloud of steam and dirt that marked Basaran's domain and stepped over the crevice that surrounded the edge of Basaran's Domain, he then placed the Storm Echo on the ground and returned him to his full size

"Home sweet home" muttered the huge, turtle-like colossus as a geyser blasted into the air adding more sulfur and mist to the air

The Magnus Thought walked to the mossy remains of Basaran "Indeed, your domain is quite inhospitable"

"It is" said the Storm Echo "when I was First created they were running out of places to put a colossus my size so they settled on this place because it had a cave that fit my size"

"I see, you were created to guard this place?" asked Zalgadis as he lay his staff against the mossy mound

Basaran grumbled, "no, I was created to kill people" he turned to face the Magnus Thought "the people who lived in The Land got sick of being raided by the armies of countries jealous of their prosperity, for a long time when the raiders came they would run to Argus's castle or Celobia's city in the mountains or Celosia's temple or Malus's library"

The Storm Echo spat a bolt of energy scorching the ground between his front feet "They got tired of running and created me, when the raiders arrived they would come running and tell me and then I'd go out and drive them away while the people went to hide" Basaran paused "I'd walk through the enemy crushing them under my feet and blasting them with my bolts and they'd run, they'd run away and I'd follow them, killing them until they left The Land"

The Storm Echo looked up at Zalgadis and growled, annoyed "Are You Done Yet?!!"

The Magus Thought nodded quickly, startled by Basaran's sudden anger "Yes, certainly" he lowered the staff to touch Basaran's head

Basaran grunted and Zalgadis started to turn to leave but stopped when the Strom Echo said, "You're taking Dirge next, right?" Zalgadis nodded and Basaran continued "Take the time to talk to him, he's the wisest colossus you'll ever meet"

Zalgadis shook his head "I don't have the time, I need to get the others to their domains then seal myself into mine"

Basaran suddenly lunged forward, knocking Zalgadis over then he moved up so that he and the Magnus Thought were face to face "You're a smart colossus, full of knowledge and power, I can see that but if you seal yourself away without talking to Dirge you're dumber than any creature that ever existed" he turned and walked into his cave

Zalgadis retrieved his staff and stood up, he paused for just a moment than walked away in the direction of the shrine

A short time later he arrived a Quadratus's beach to find Dirge already prepared and waiting for him

"Shall we go then?" said the Sand Tiger as he moved through the earth toward the west with surprising speed

Zalgadis found himself in the position of following the Sand Tiger as they traveled across the plains to the mouth of Dirge's cave

Dirge stopped and said "I am afraid you may not fit, my newest brother, there is a large hole in the roof of my cave that you can enter through but unfortunately you will have to kneel down to fit inside"

Zalgadis's staff flashed and he stood there, human

Dirge blinked his huge, luminous eyes in surprise but started down the tunnel without a word

As soon as they reached the huge cavern that was Dirge's domain Zalgadis hurried over to the huge form, half buried in the sand and set to work at once

"You are in a hurry, my newest brother," said the Sand Tiger, following "Have you no time to simply talk?"

"Basaran said the same thing" mumbled Zalgadis not looking up "But my time is short and I must not delay"

"You obviously have a time limit but if you tell me what it is perhaps I can help you," replied Dirge kindly "two minds working on the same problem can do great things"

Zalgadis sighed and muttered, "I must be done by sunset"

Dirge chuckled and asked, "Who told you this?"

"The Shamans who created me" said Zalgadis turning his head to face Dirge and frowning

"They know nothing of The Land," said the Sand Tiger, still chuckling slightly "or they would not have made such a simple mistake"

Zalgadis pulled his staff back and turned "Mistake?"

"Tell me, you have looked at the sun since your arrival, yes?" asked the Sand Tiger

"Yes, it's always behind the clouds but I can see where it is" was the reply

"And you have been here for how long?" asked Dirge

"A few hours" said the Magnus Thought

" In a few hours you have crossed what amounts to the entire Land three times over?" asked Dirge, his voice filled with humour "no, you've been here for WEEKS"

Zalgadis looked taken aback "Weeks?"

"Yes, clearly your Shamans know nothing of the land if they thought you would cross it in a single day" said Dirge kindly "but they also clearly did not know that the sun does not set here"

"It doesn't?" asked Zalgadis

"No, not since The Dormin came, their power is greatest in the light so when they came they used their power to freeze the sun over The Land" said the Sand Tiger "the sun has not set in the land for over a hundred years"

"If there is then so much time I would ask some questions of you" said the Magnus Thought, sitting on the sand "tell me about the people"

"The Land was full of people, so many different people, when I was created the Great Library was already full of scholars and sorcerers, the Desert Castle contained the Grand Council that ruled The Land, the Fire Temple already contained priests and philosophers, the Great Mountain City was full of people, the Lake City was Bustling and there were tiny Villages everywhere but it didn't stop there, new settlements would appear all the time, before I knew it The Cave Temple had been carved out of the rock and was full of monks and the Lake Library had appeared, shortly later the Mountain Temple appeared, The Land was happy and prosperous"

"What happened to them?" asked Zalgadis

Dirge shook his head sadly "I do not know and that is my shame, I was created to be the Memory of The Land, when I first awoke I was here, trapped in this cave but within hours scholars came and began to tell me stories and asked me to remember them"

The Sand Tiger paused gazing into space "there had been a fire at The Great Library and vast swathes of books had been destroyed, much of it was rewritten but much was lost so they decided it would be best if another way to keep the knowledge safe was created, so they created me, they told all of the history that remained in the book along with myths, legends, law and everything that they knew about the outside world, for decades they came to me to give me knowledge to remember, wars, treaties, marriages, I never had a conversation with a human all they ever did was give me things to remember, the other colossi would came to talk, come to tell me about what was happening in their domains but I had little to say, all I ever did was remember so some of them would bring me books to read, I so loved to read"

Dirge paused again "but one day it all changed, a group of scholars came into my Domain with knowledge for me to remember, they were arguing about some philosophical point, something about whether it was right to punish those who committed crimes who were damaged in the head, I piped in with an opinion citing several points of law and a number of historical events and legends, they were shocked, they told me the event that they wished me to remember, another invasion pushed back, then they left but the next day they returned, it had never happened before that humans had come to me two days in a row, I usually only saw humans a few times a year when something worth recording happened, they had another question they wanted to discuss but they wanted to discuss it with ME, they asked me why one of the ancient leaders had taken his own life despite his power, influence and apparent happiness, the question baffled me"

"You didn't understand it?" asked the Magnus Thought

The Sand Tiger chuckled "No, it seemed too simple to me, I told them it was because the woman he had loved since his birth had married another, they went silent for a while then thanked me and left, for the next six months people came just about every day to ask me questions and get my opinions,

I didn't understand so I left my cave for the first time and went to see Malus, it took me almost a month to reach him, tunneling through the earth and I was afraid I would get into trouble but Malus was the oldest and wisest colossus of us all, when I arrived the scholars of the Great Library were surprised but not angry, they said it was alright for me to visit the others if I returned to my domain once a year to fulfill my duties, I was glad and they left me alone to ask Malus my question, His armour had not stiffened and he could still move then, he came down onto his knees and leant over to talk to me "the humans have come to talk to me but I do not know why" I said, I told him what had happened and he listened without saying anything then he asked "**why do you come to me to ask your question?**" I said it was because he was the wisest colossus of all but he shook his head "**No**" he said "**not any more, they have told you the stories and they have told you the histories, all that knowledge has mated in your mind and become Wisdom**" I told him it could not be true but he told me that the humans had come to him with their second question first and he could not answer it but I COULD, I returned to my cave and people kept coming until the day they were all destroyed"

"Is that what happened?" said Zalgadis, "Dormin destroyed them?"

Dirge shook his head "I don't know and I am ashamed of it, the greatest knowledge of all the land and I do not have it, I awoke one day to find Cenobia running into my cave to tell me that the humans had all vanished, I had begun to ask him how it had happened but then I felt a great pain, a darkness within me, The Dormin"

Zalgadis stood and raised his staff filled with twisting darkness "and I am afraid I must give it back to you"

Dirge simply nodded and Zalgadis touched the staff between his eyes

"Farewell, Wise Dirge we will not see each other again" said the Magnus Thought, turning and walking out of the cave

"But I will always remember you" whispered the Sand Tiger at his back

_**Well that's chapter seven, sorry about my grammer, I've never been good with punctuation**_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Zalgadis walked across the plain, his eyes staring at the skyhis thoughts full "how could I have been so foolish?" he muttered to himself "To think my task would be done within a day, not needing to eat or sleep means time moves strangely"

His face moved down from staring at the sky to fix on the shrine and his strides sped up, purpose returning to his movements "but every hour that passes is another chance for someone to come and release The Dormin before the seal is complete"

He arrived at the beach and looked down at the knot of colossi, sitting and chatting, and the towering form of Malus standing on the lip of the crevasse, watching his fellows

The Grand Gigas looked down at the other colossi and said "**Celosia, it is time for you to say goodbye**" the Flame Guardian looked up and Zalgadis nodded

Celosia simply said "Goodbye my Brothers" and the others murmured their farewells

Zalgadis simply turned and began to walk, moving over to the other side of the huge stone walkway that led out of The Land

Celosia just followed him without a word, her eyes fixed upon his back

Some time later they arrived at the edge of the small canyon that was the Flame Guardian's domain and the Magnus Thought began to climb down the wall, Celosia followed the narrow walkway that led down to the bottom where she stopped and looked up at Zalgadis

"I will need assistance" she said simply, sadness apparent in her voice

Zalgadis leaned over and lifted the smaller Colossus in one hand, turned, took a few steps and reached down through the gap in the pillars that marked the front of the temple to place her inside

He reached in with his other hand and touched his staff to the moss-covered pile of stones that were all that remained of the Flame Guardian

Celosia pawed at the gap, sadness radiating from her "So my home is my prison once again" she muttered then moved to one of the short pillars that supported the

still-burning braziers and smacked it lightly with her paw "And these Cursed things still burn"

Zalgadis looked at her strangely "But you are the Flame Guardian, how is it you fear fire?"

Celosia turned to glare at him "I don't fear fire" she growled, "I HATE it"

"But why?" asked the Magnus Thought "Please, tell me your story"

Celosia gazed at him for a few moments then began her story "I was created to serve and protect the Flame Priests, I would watch over them and make sure that the raiders that would occasionally come could not harm them, I would carry them out into The Land wherever they wished to go" he growled and glared at the braziers "and I would gather fuel for the fires"

"And what happened?" asked Zalgadis

"The Dormin, they appeared and the Priests began to attack one another, they used the burning logs that I had gathered to kill their fellows, soon all were dead so I went to find out what had happened but the earth shook and water rose" she gestured with her paw at the small but deep pool that sat at the bottom of the walkway "I cannot swim and I am too heavy to float, I would drown, so I just sat quietly and waited, some of the others came and told me that all of the humans had gone, so I just waited for the fires to go out" she sighed and closed her eyes "but they didn't, somehow The Dormin made them burn without fuel, it's always reminded me of my failure"

Zalgadis nodded "I am sorry but I cannot break the Dormin's spell" he said kindly then asked "Are you ready?"

The Flame Guardian nodded and he touched her on the forehead with his staff, she recoiled slightly and hissed with pain as the black tendrils entered her body

Zalgadis turned and looked down at the large pool of water at the base of the path leading up the wall and walked over to it

Celosia watched as he brought his staff down against the ground next to it, the water drained away and she called "You said you couldn't break The Dormin's spells"

The Magnus Thought glanced over his shoulder and said, "Some spells are weaker then others, besides I didn't want my robe to get wet"

He climbed out and headed back toward the beach where the Great Basilisk waited, sitting on the edge of cliff, he pulled himself to his feet and nodded at the Magnus Thought and said, "let us go"

Zalgadis nodded and turned, walking east

After only a short time, even with Pelagia's short stumpy legs they came to the long rock bridge that lead to the forested cave where they stopped, Zalgadis looked across to where the Misty Waterfall marked the edge of Pelagia's Domain

The Great Basilisk stepped up beside him and said simply "it is too weak to hold us"

"Yes" replied Zalgadis "and even shrunk you would not be able to cross"

Pelagia just nodded and waited

Zalgadis raised his staff, which began to glow, placed a hand on Pelagia's shoulder then brought his staff down

There was a flash and both of them were teleported to the huge pillared arches that cast shadows onto the waters that were the Great Basilisk's Domain

Zalgadis moved through, bending down to pass through the archway and moving to the floating remains that were what remained of Pelagia and lowered his staff to touch them

The Great Basilisk just watched him in silence

After a while the Magnus Thought turned his head and asked, "What is wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong" Pelagia replied simply, treading water

"Every other colossus seemed starved for conversation and wanted to talk," said the Magnus Thought "you're different"

"Yes" said Pelagia "I never saw the need, this is a place of silence and contemplation, I have always respected that"

Zalgadis nodded "please, I would hear your story if you would tell me"

Pelagia stared at him for a moment "This place was once a small but deep valley, monks used to come here to meditate, to consider the world, with time the monks decided that the addition of water would assist so they sent for me, I had already been created to assist builders and stone-carvers, they would direct me using the stones of my crest and I would use the power from my horns to break the stone

"I came and at their direction I dug down into an underground river, soon there was a small pool that they could sit beside, for many years it was as it should be but I had made a mistake and the pool grew with every year, soon it was a lake"

The Great Basilisk shook his head "I returned and offered to fix my mistake but they refused, they said that events must proceed as they must but I refused to listen, I got help from Hydrus and the two of us worked on the rock, blocking the hole so that the water would not rise any further, all seemed to be well"

"Seemed?" the Magus Thought asked, interested

"Yes, the Abbot asked me to help them with a project they were planning, they asked me to make five great pillars that reached up level with the valley entrance, I did and on top of them they created five shrines, simple but elegant, I asked them what they were for because they had left no way for the older monks to reach the top, even the younger had difficulty climbing the sides"

Pelagia turned his head aside "the Abbot just told me to wait, that all would become clear, so I moved on after all I had other duties to perform, other people who needed my help, I was excavating space so that the Mountain City could expand when I heard, the Cliff Monastery had been destroyed, flooded, I came here to find that the monks had left a day before it happened all but one"

"The Abbot?" whispered Zalgadis

Pelagia nodded "he knew that the plug was going to fail, the entire monastery was underwater" he nodded at each of the shrines "these were all that remained, the pillars I made, I decided to stay, to help as best I could, the monks left to create the Mountain Monastery and only came here for quiet meditation, I helped them to get to and from the shrines, carrying them on my back, between times I would just wait" he nodded at the arches "the carvers came and made those, I think they wanted to show me that they were still my friends"

"But you stayed here as penance" said Zalgadis, A statement, not a question

Pelagia simply nodded, Zalgadis placed his staff against his head

Darkness flowed but the Great Basilisk didn't make a sound

The Magnus Thought moved through the arches to the edge of the waterfall

"How did you know why I stayed?" asked Pelagia, head cocked with interest

Zalgadis didn't turn "I know about penance" he vanished in a flash of light


End file.
